Book Review: Somebody Up There Hates You

So this is one of the many Advanced Readers Copies I had picked up in the past 2 months but this was the first that I actually started and finished. I can't say much about it since it hasn't been released yet, but I just have to share some of my reactions. Because I really enjoyed this one.

Honestly, when I picked this ARC up at my local book store and read the synopsis, I wasn't expecting much.  I was very certain that it was going to be a major rip off of The Fault in our Stars by John Green.  And nothing NOTHING could even begin to compare to that book.  But I still went ahead and took this one home, intent on approaching it with an open mind.  I started it yesterday and finished it just 10 minutes ago. And I just have a few things to comment on...

This ain't no The Fault in our Stars..

I mean it is similar in the sense that it is a novel about kids with cancer and it really packs a slugger of feels. But that's about where the comparisons end.

For one thing, this book wasn't just about kids with cancer. It was about kids dying of cancer and takes place in a hospice unit. Now that sounds depressing as all hell and I was worried that it would be just that. But I was wrong. The main character Richard is not your typical 17 years old cancer kid. He is foul mouthed, frustrating, charming in his own infuriating way and super mischievous. I have never read about a kid with cancer who gets up to the shenanigans that this kid does. It's pretty great and it almost makes you forget that he's in a hospice with only a few days to a few weeks left to live.

And his love interest Sylvie  is the kind of girl you hope to be if you're ever sick. She's tough, fierce, hopeful and totally goes after what she wants in the little time she has left. The hi jinks she and Richard get up made me laugh and cringe. This girl is fearless and blunt and faces everything head on with intelligence and humor. Its hard not to like her character.

Now I can't spoil anything by mentioning major plot points because this is an Advanced reader's copy which means it is not available to the public yet. But I will say this.  Please pick it up when it is available. You won't regret it. It's just one of those books that despite its emotionally heavy content, you can't help but look at your own life differently because you see it through the eye of kids who have very little life left.

"Somebody up there hates You" by Hollis Seamon is set to be released on September 3, 2013. And like I said, pick it up. You will love it!,,